Treatments

Uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE)

Fibroids are benign tumours, varying in size from microscopic to the size of a football, and only need to be treated if they are causing problems.

Uterine fibroids, the most common benign pelvic tumor in women, are caused by an overgrowth of the muscle of the uterus. They can cause pressure on the bladder or bowel, create a noticeable swelling in the lower abdomen, and often cause very heavy periods. Fibroids may also cause infertility or miscarriages.

HCA hospitals offer a minimally invasive treatment called uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE), which is performed under local anaesthetic and designed to treat fibroids whilst preserving the uterus and fertility. During this procedure, small particles are injected through a tiny catheter inserted into the artery that supplies the uterus and fibroid, stopping blood flow into the fibroid. Over six to nine months, the fibroid shrinks and symptoms should be relieved.

When you have uterine fibroid embolisation at one of our hospitals:

you will receive the least invasive treatment possible, allowing a quicker recovery time and preserving your fertility

you will benefit from the latest advances in gynaecological surgery – evidence shows that recurrence of treated fibroids after UFE is very rare

You can choose the consultant and hospital most convenient for you by simply entering the treatment into our ‘Consultant finder’.

With us, you can be sure you are getting the best treatment available. When you have any treatment in one of our units or hospitals, you will experience a number of benefits:

Access to consultants who are experts in their field, working with the latest treatments and leading technologies in state-of-the-art facilities that smaller private hospitals cannot match.

We are London’s leading private hospital group,treating 400,000 patients each year. This volume drives excellence and experience and allows us to invest in the latest treatments, technologies and medication - £500 million in the last decade - many of which are not available on the NHS or via smaller private hospitals.

You can be confident that we can take care of all your treatment needs. We are the only private hospital group to offer such an extensive range of treatments for patients of all ages.

No waiting time. Your care will start as soon as you're ready.

Your safety is protected. Some private hospitals have no on-site critical care facilities in the event of an emergency. Our consultants have access to more critical care beds 24/7 than any other private healthcare group in the UK. If you need urgent care you’ll receive it instantly – it’s very rare for us to transfer patients to another hospital. Our rates of MRSA are nearly five times lower than the national average. And we have zero recorded cases of some other common infections.

What to do next

Once you have decided that you would like to be treated at an HCA hospital, or would like further information, here's what to do next:

HCA Healthcare UK

Registered Name: HCA International Limited; The part of the UK in which it is registered: England and Wales;
Registered Number: 03020522; Registered Office Address: 242 Marylebone Road London NW1 6JL.

£500m has been invested by HCA International in the latest medical technologies and facilities over the last 10 years.

Your hospital will be one of our world-class private hospitals: HCA’s world-class hospitals are accredited by The CHKS Accreditation Unit, a leading provider of healthcare intelligence and quality improvement services. The accreditation is a measure of the overall quality of a hospital and hospitals with CHKS accreditation have been shown to provide a better quality of service.

Your safety will be protected because we have more critical care beds than any other private hospital group: HCA hospitals achieved 100% compliance with all Care Quality Commission inspected outcomes of care in 2011.

Your treatment will be undertaken using the most advanced diagnostic and treatment facilities: Oliver Wyman, Corporate Accounts: Driving quality and value, January 2012.